Inner Reflections
by Kenhime
Summary: (COMPLETE) Poems looking into the thoughts of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the main Naruto cast. Kabuto: However, do you question this devotion? So do I...for reasons you will never know.
1. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura

Title: Inner Reflections

Author: Kenhime

Genre: Angst

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm quite glad I don't.  I don't want to handle all those girls coming at me with killer intent just because I favor one pairing (be it yaoi or non-yaoi) over the other. *shudders at the thought*

Author's Note: I wanted to write a fanfic, but I was inspired to write something that looks somewhat like poetry.  ^_^;;  I'm not a natural poet...but unusually, this was spawned out of nowhere by my muse.  There are no pairings, by the way, just simple musings.

Second Author's Note: At first, I intended only to do the three main characters of Naruto, but I made more look-alike poetry for other characters.  I organized the genin (or chuunin, for that matter) into their assigned groups of three (Naruto/Sasuke/Sakura, Hinata/Kiba/Shino, etc.).  Be warned that these words are very cryptic and if you can comprehend them, you will see some big spoilers.  ^^;;;  The pieces are all in fifteen lines.

"Uzumaki Naruto"

Empty hatred filled my soul...

A loathing body cursed forever...

Acknowledge me to save my sanity I plead...

But when the plea is answered...

And forgotten, leaving only with to protect

Even if I'm weak, 

If my words resound too loudly in your ears

If I'm simple...

Strength is what I'll obtain at my life's stake,

My words never empty

My courage a blessed simplicity...

With the protector clutched tightly in my hands

I forget the reason of my life...

And realize that the meaning of me

Lies only in the meaning of others

"Uchiha Sasuke"

My existence is but only an ambition...

To face those sick red eyes again...

Orbs of a terrifying brooding fire...

That struck me with fear, hate, and confusion...

But now I will grow strong for that sole reason...

To find him again, and feel his cold blood...

Course down my victorious and shaking hands...

Which were calloused with many scars

All waiting to see, along with my own dull red eyes...

The slow, excruciating death of him...

My brother, my father's pride, my mother's love...

The killer of my clan and end of innocence

Emotions dance around me like leaves in the wind

A whirl of hatred, loneliness, misery...

And...hope too?

"Haruno Sakura"

My crush seems no more than superficial...

But my heart beats quick and steady...

When my lips whisper his loving name...

Through small moments do I see the pain he holds...

A window into his soul that had never existed before...

But when it was gone...

I, bereft of the sound of his quiet voice

Hearing the thumps of his passing steps...

Am suddenly aware of a little boy who's caged inside him...

Unable to find an answer to the pain

I cannot understand...

Who am I, a girl with a family, naive, to really know what exists inside of him?

But in spite of these enigmas, in spite of this barrier

My hands reach out, fingertips brushing against his pale cheeks...

To comfort a boy, weary of solitude, and to fill his nothing with my everything...


	2. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari

"Sabaku no Gaara"

My eyes stinging with the ever-present sand

Searches nothing in the blood-red sky

But power, the bane and center of my hollow existence

A villain born from the depths of resentment...

Kindness torn by vile words and crimson-stained hands...

I fear nothing nor do I cherish anything but myself

Bonds form with he who is of my kind and of my enemy

Yet they are cruelly severed

For in the midst of hatred blooms a flower of the season

Whose maternal affection sought to protect an empty seed

He leaves me in the hellish isolation as screams wrack my dry throat

Aspiration, comprehension, passion withered away by demonic dust

My feet continues to carry me numbly forward to bleak eternity

Cracked lips moving in unbroken rhythm

Fight for one's self, kill for one's self, love for one's self

"Kankuro"

Temperance is a trait lacked

Impulsiveness a gift of my youth

But so is cowardice

A gothic that loves to inspire fear in others

And ironically frightened of loving death

An image of arrogance to the strong and weak

An insect to the sand demon's embodiment

Expert ventriloquist

Ignorant trickster

Gaining nothing of power or courage

But the end result of my tragic flaw

That is proved by the hand of he

Whose bugs lay dormant on my skin

I'm a testimony of a boy who wrongly chose

Weak deception over true strength

"Temari"

Child of the power-lust

Sister of the blood-lust

The very heart of Prudence

And the very evil of Passion

Allegiance to my superior

A father who never was

Estranged with a fearful brother

Calming to another's temper

The pride of the shadow

Master of the winds

I seek and desire nothing 

This emptiness devours me

I fear helplessness

Yet I am truly powerless

Do I fear myself?


	3. Lee, Neji, and Tenten

Author's Note: Originally, I had posted the second part featuring Gaara, Rock Lee, and Hinata.  But I wrote about their subordinates too, so I split them up according to their three-man teams.  The pieces go in no official order.

"Rock Lee"

They told me I could never be

But I never believed them...

Bandages hide hands that are scarred

Hide the moments of perseverance 

I have nothing to lose, nothing to protect

But my mind, heart, and soul

United together all for that light

To prove them wrong

Envy fills my heart

My hard work easily undone

By the work of an eye

Dreams stolen, esteem dead

But I'll continue to run

Someday my worn feet will carry me

Past these hardships high into the sky

"Hyuuga Neji"

Sullen and keen white-eyes

Cold bitter fury trapped inside me

Foreordained to inferiority

I scream at cruel fate

Resent the curse bestowed on me

Fighting to prove my worth

When I already know it's worthless to

You cannot fight destiny

I sneer at the weak successor

Abhor the brother of my father

Scoff at my hotheaded comrade

Respect the genius's potency

And refuse to believe the loner

Until I felt the blow of his fist

That fate all along was in my hands

"Tenten"

A myriad of weapons at my bidding

Skillful and stealthy as the shadowing leaf

I fight along side two great boys

Although they stand out more

My worth is just as valuable

But attention is not what I crave

And while timid I certainly am not

Peace and quiet is what I prefer

I am a maternal presence

The steady and levelheaded counterpart

The calming water to complement

The determined fire and the bitter wind

A small part I play in this turbulent time

But I am here nonetheless

And there's more to me than you think


	4. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino

Author's Note: I know you're wondering where's the Ino/Shika/Cho team, but I haven't written them out yet (I had wanted to finish the teams with Hinata/Gaara/Lee first).  They'll be coming soon.

"Hyuuga Hinata"

Trepidation overtakes me

Self-doubt is my companion

Unwanted blood runs through me

A power, a prospect, unasked for

I wish for the sky to swirl

The future unclear, unset for me

For the butterfly to break her cocoon

Brilliant-colored wings to take flight

Voice distinct and clear

Eyes unwavering

A heart free

Like his eyes, the color of day skies

The boy hated by everyone

A love hidden in my heart

About to reveal the soul's true form

"Inuzuka Kiba"

Never alone without my friend

Who's been there since the beginning

Two separate beings interlinked

Like two parts in one whole

Twin marks run down my face 

Symbolizing the harmony

Between beast and man

I work just as well with my team

A shy girl with an underrated power

A taciturn boy with a reserved nature

I the confident but competent leader

Our strength lies in unity

To utilize all of our abilities at once

Without the bonds of man and nature

How far will my might go?

"Aburame Shino"

I am the unison of earth and flesh

The coexistence between bug and human

Hands holding the force of the shadowy creatures

Quiet eyes cloaked in dark glassy shades

Soul carrying the will of these benevolent insects

I have allegiance to the Entity of Shadow

Not the God of Greed and Power-Hunger

My reserved nature will not deceive you

But do not underestimate who I am

My potency cannot be crushed easily

I do not demand respect nor do I need to

It is up to you to decide and I to give

Believing strongly in honor and courage

Even at the peril of my own life, without hesitation

I step forward to aid an unsuspecting ally


	5. Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji

Author's Note: *pops from the grave* I AM ALIVE! MUAHAHAHAHA!

Well.  Anyway, I've finished the twelve Leaf Genin.  I'll switch this chapter with the Tsunade one later, so that it'll be more organized.  Next chapter will be the Sensei's, and then two special chapters featuring Zabuza and Haku, then Itachi, Kabuto, and Shizune.  

"Yomanaka Ino"

Why is your mind so simple?

I ask with a heart injured

We were friends from the beginning

Now shallow rivals at the end

Were you willing to break this bond?

All for a boy whose eyes don't see you?

Hurts me to think you'd choose love over friendship

But do not think I wouldn't help you now

Don't think so little of me, I scoff

I may be your opponent and love him too

But I'd rather risk my idiotic team and my safety

Then to see you, trying and failing, die at this moment

And when I saved you, I already knew…

Your obstinate nature wouldn't waver

Only a fight could vent these hard feelings

"Nara Shikamaru"

Slowly, sleepily, drifting away…

Wispy white floating in endless blue

A hand reaches to grasp the gossamer thing

Only to touch the wildly-spinning world

Must I try so hard at my own risk?

I snort; "It was inevitable," I say

"I guess I'll try, but don't hurry me."

Indisputable is my intellect

Debatable is my resolve

Unparalleled is my laziness

Contrary to belief, I'm not arrogant

I don't underestimate my enemies like some

Just tired of having to deal with reckless idiots

Snobby geniuses and stupid girls blinded by love

But…I suppose that was inevitable too.

"Akimichi Choji"

If Pringles ever existed in my world

I would whole-heartedly agree to its logo

"Once you pop, you can't stop."

My appetite larger than my already large body

Shoveling chow down my throat without pause

Looking to freeload off the others as well

If you want to know, potato chips are my favorites

Not that eating so much food lacks meaning

My specialty lies in the voluptuous size of me

It has a fitting—and tasty—name to it too!

But if I hear that one insulting word from your mouth 

My temper will flare and my power will be truly shown

You see me as a coward, not ashamed of running away

But I can rise to the occasion fighting as much as others

I may be a plump ninja, but I'm a good plump ninja 


	6. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade

Author's Note: This was written for a request in one of the reviews.  ^^  I hope you like it.

"Jiraiya"

Retirement is all I really want

Weary and old to my bones

Of fighting deception and evil

But the times are changing and leading me

To people in need of a sage

To the comrade I must kill

To a boy with flaming blue eyes

Reminder of the younger days

When my head was still filled with hot air

The path of the future not yet treaded on

Eyes reminiscing, I stand up though I say,

"I'm not as young as I used to be.

The moment has come for a new era

Successor of my force and will

He will carry my past to the future."

"Orochimaru"

Sage of the fiery shadows

Master of the snake

Genius in a time of turbulence

One to carry the pillar's will

But I will not be the pillar

I will be a deity

The supreme, the omnipotent

Incomparable, indigenous

Walking the path of the immortal

Ravenous for universal knowledge

Achieving enlightenment through malice

A ruthless mage as terrifying as heaven and hell

A man attempting to be God

Hands unbound and unstoppable

Humanity lost in the depths of greed and ambition

"Tsunade"

Ageless yet tired hands, numb cold feet

An astute mind but a heart bitter-filled

A necklace clutched by shaking fingers

A curse—a thief of two precious lives

Deserving to live when they couldn't anymore

Tears forever staining cheeks

Forgetting with the feel of money

But unable to stop remembering  

Evil temptation overcomes prudence

An old comrade's venomous offer

Another's utmost dread

But the fleeting moment passes into revelation

My fate is to live in place of those who died

My desire is to make their dream come true

And my power will do everything to protect it

Coming Soon: Ino/Shikamaru/Chouji, Zabuza/Haku, the Sensei's (aka Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Iruka), 3rd Hokage, Itachi, and Kabuto.

Thank you to the reviewers:

Derenhelm Jade Skywalker: No offense taken.  =)  I was confused at first as to what you were referring to until I saw the reviews for my other work.  ^^;;  But I'm a newbie too—I've just gotten into the anime barely a month ago…  I was so insane that I read every single thing at The Naruto Guide and downloaded the image translations at the Hosted Naruto Manga site…  Which lead to my writing of the fic, and the quotes…  The fight with Itachi actually did occur in the manga (which lead to his being unconscious in the flashback), but the fiction one in my story is a fight that is supposed to take place later… ^^; Sorry for the long explanation…I tend to babble a lot.  Anyway, I'm happy you and your friend liked it (I like Hinata too).  I try my best to portray these characters…and you will see that I'll end up revising them over and over again… -_-;;

Amakasu Toko: Sorry for not getting the Zabuza and Haku poems out right now, but I'm taking your request and working on it!  ^^ Their fight with Naruto and Co. was the very reason I got into the anime the first place!  =P

Toumo no Miko: Hehe, I read from that scanslations site (that was how I got my info for "Living").  Ooh, I'm thankful for that site for feeding my hunger for Naruto manga.  Watching the anime alone just wasn't enough—I had to read the manga.  ^^ Thank you for giving me the link though, and I'm happy (insanely so) that you liked these pieces that I had at first barely any confidence to publish.  I hope you liked Tsunade, Kiba, and Temari's poem.

Annachan: *blushing* It's really not that good, given that I had disregarded many rules of poetry in a sense…  But thank you…^^;;;;;;  I hope you continue to read some more of these pieces.

Chibi Dragon: I try my best to keep them IC as much as possible without having to do pairings, even though I'm not Kishimoto-sensei myself.  Thanks!  ^^

FM Buu Saix: Hehehe, I had a Naruto overload too…  Goodness, I'm insane…staying up late at night to read Naruto manga on the net, constantly using The Naruto Guide as a reference…keeping my poor comp late at night to download the episodes…  =_=;;;  Thank you for reviewing!  I think this fanfiction section is going to grow a lot bigger, considering that Cartoon Network will be showing the anime _pretty_ soon…(*mutters irately* …I just hope the dubbing will be good…and that they don't make mincemeat of the series)

Rinon Toros: You're not the worst reviewer on that net!  ^^;;; You're my first reviewer for this!  I had hoped to make a good estimate of the characterization, so I'm happy that I succeeded in doing so…  Putting me on the favorites section is too much of a compliment to give me…I was joyfully surprised to see that…thank you! ^^;;;;


	7. Third Hokage, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Iruka...

Author's Note: YES!  The Sensei's!!  I'll start it off with the Third Hokage.  Though he's not a sensei, he _was.  Okay, okay, fine, I just wrote his piece and I didn't know where to put him.  ^^;  I like Kakashi's piece (I know—stupid, liking your own stuff); it came so naturally to me that I wrote it in less time than the others.  On the other hand, Asuma's piece trapped me in a writer's block for two weeks and I'm still not satisfied with it._

"The 3rd Hokage Sarutobi"

I have watched this village for all of my life

Years too many to count or remember

An image of strength and intellect

A general of an army and a college professor

Chosen to carry on the will of the pillar

The founding fathers of this village

A beautiful place overgrown with curled green leaves

People—not soldiers—striving to live a life of peace

I don't fight for anything else but to protect this peace

I don't die for anything else but for my love

Of the people who lived here, of everyone

Call me sentimental old man

But this was my true calling from the start

Because I wasn't given this name to be the strongest

I loved this village the most, and that was my greatest power

"Sarutobi Asuma"

A man like me can't go without his smoke

It gives me the image of self-assurance

I hate using those unwieldy things like swords

So I go the manly way with metal fists

Though my power doesn't reach as far as to match the scarecrow

My talent is respected in the village as one of the elite

I lead my own team of brats

And I can't deny my pride of their feats

I've got a lazy-ass whose intellect exceeds all expectations

A hot-tempered girl with exceptional talents and skills

A chubby eater who wouldn't fail to cooperate in serious situations

They can hold out on their own very well (if they'd wanted to)

Failing is an impossible option for them (though escaping is not)

But I guess I'm just a man with a soft heart

Always appearing in the nick of time to save them from danger

  
"Yuuhi Kurenai"

Illusions surround you in a cold embrace

Invisible strings wound around nimble fingers

Slipping through the shadows like water in a stream

Icy cold, fluid, and unattainable

Warm, profound, and encompassing

Deadly as the dagger in the dark

This is the way of the shadow mistress

I am the contradiction to all presumptions

Uncompromising and unwavering in my goals

Do not take me lightly like the other females

I am the strictest teacher and the most compassionate

Especially when I see one of my kind

Struggling to free herself from the cage of hesitation  

Her wings a different color from the rest, imperfect

But they are still wings—and they can still fly

"Maito Gai"

O how I love the youth!

A springtime in life where dreams were vivid

Blooming, alive, and never doubted

I cherish these three beautiful leaves

Guiding them with a warm and loving hand

One of them a son I never had the chance to have

Looking at me with his admirable and admiring gaze

Believing in my words earnestly and strongly

"Hard work can match and even surpass a natural genius."

He never failed exceeding my expectations

Earning a respect far greater and deeper than any other

Reminding me of the olden days, the "eternal rivalry"

How I sought to match the power of his prodigious talents

And succeeded to become an accepted equal

But this boy will surpass all geniuses—and me—one day

"Umino Iruka"

A teacher who aims to transcend 

The boundaries between student and mentor

To make a difference in their lives

Mind them when they're no longer yours to care

And become a father they never had

Long gone was the pity I had for the boy

The jokester, the orphan, the loner

I love him as well as if he was my own son

Though I could be over protective like any parent

Letting him go and grow is the way of life

Acknowledging him to be an exceptional student

Knowing that he will become an exceptional man

My pride of him will never fall or hide

Doesn't matter if he surpasses me one day

Because he already had in my own eyes

"Hatake Kakashi"

You know me so well

Yet do you really know me?

A face hidden behind a mask

Is a face hiding many secrets

I am more than a mentor

I am a brother, father, comrade

Captain of the military team

A guide of three sprouting leaves

A man of insufferable composure

And tardiness, my team would add

I don't take my words back

I don't run from the truth

What the truth is— you figure it out

Twenty-six years aren't enough to stop walking the path

What awaits me there—well, that's for me to figure out


	8. Zabuza and Haku

Author's Note: This is written for a request in one of the reviews.  I hope you like it.  ^^  I had fun writing this.

"Momochi Zabuza"

Devilish boy in the middle of carnage

Yearning to become a shadow master too

And eager to taste and feel blood shed

Stained hands and frenzied eyes

Ambition, fury, and bloodlust

Whirling like a tempest in my head

Never resting, never tranquil, never smiling

My sword is the testament to my mindset

A weapon, swift, strong, and unyielding

I teach a boy what "life" had taught me

Molding him into a sword like the one I hold

But it is a revelation, when death edges closer

He was never a sword, unlike me in so many ways

He was an ice crystal, translucent and beautiful

The snow of tranquility after the tempest

"Haku"

Flakes of ethereal white float down

Icily eating away my soul, my heart

Curled into a ball, a miserable creature

An animal who attacked its own father

With a blessed and cursed power

I could not even cry of my pain

My tears were frozen in the dark of the night

He came to me as a stranger, but familiar

He shared the same wretched eyes I had

Except they widened in surprise and then softened

His hand—his hard cracked hand came to rest on my head

Guiding me to a world as black as my soul's tainting

And as crimson as the blood that pooled in my palm

I would do anything for him the savior of my existence 

Because to me he is the speck of white in the world

Author's Note: I don't know if I will write any more poems…I said I would write Itachi and Kabuto…but…hmmm…I'm not sure.  Besides, I already tried to get into the mindset in Itachi (*insert shameless self-advertising, hint, hint* read "Living"), but I guess I'm just lazy.  I'll try to though…

This may be the last of them, but I'm thinking about it.  Any requests?

Again, thank you to the reviewers:

Amakasu Toko – There you go!  ^_^ I hope you liked it—writing them came out pretty well for me…I had to re-read the story arc again—and I found it so wonderful to compare the first arc to the latest arc that had just ended (the Tsunade arc).  Haku had a great influence on Naruto and at the end, I liked Zabuza.  ^^

Anna-chan – You're really giving me too much credit!  But thank you *bows*!    XD  I thank you for taking the time to review each of my chapters—that's really sweet.  =)  Would you like to make a request?

H3av3nang3l – I like Neji a lot as well.  ^^  He's so realistic in a way that he's rebellious and bitter against the Hyuuga clan.  I hope to see him later in the manga after the fights, when he becomes stronger than he already is.  @.@  That would be an awesome thing to see…


	9. Shizune, Kabuto, Itachi

"Shizune"

I'm only a young girl, so naïve

How am I to know my master?

I am here, just here to learn

Not to meddle in, not to worry

But she is not only my superior

She is my friend, my older sister

A gambler down on her luck

Her cares light yet so fake

Masking the shadows in her heart

I know her as well as a little sister

And I cannot see her fall into darkness

My hands cannot heal this profound despair

So now hope lies in her painful memories

And the manifestation of her dreams

The boy whose spirit never gives up

"Yakuushi Kabuto"

Don't see past this smirking façade

Don't understand the heart that I hide

Because I am truly torn

Raised in the peaceful place I never belonged to

An unwilling traitor on home soil, just a pitied child

But now I can choose where my home lies

And become the betrayer I always was

Glassed eyes deceivingly kind and gentle

But the blood in me boils malevolently

Supreme loyalty belongs to the mage of serpents

Even if his black mark hasn't sunk into my neck

However, do you question this devotion?

So do I…for reasons you will never know

I am an enigma, the holder of all secrets

And perfectly content to remain as one

"Uchiha Itachi"

I cannot—no I will not turn back

The days when the prodigy was abandoned

Disillusioned and misunderstood

_You can never understand me_

Already fallen into the black abyss

No hand can save me but the hand of Death

Love and warmth was there, now gone

Regret has consumed my soul

Numbing my whole corpse of feeling

My murmured words frozen into chips of ice

Resentment will be the one to bring me down

Encompassing hatred that surpasses mine

My brother's hand is the death I will gladly embrace

Or else there will be no ground to the pit

Insanity will continue, eyes of blood unclosing

Author's Note: This will be the final chapter until my muse suddenly pops up more poetry.  I didn't do Kisame because I found him too minor to do and I couldn't get his ulterior motives.  I hope this serves as a nice (maybe temporary) ending to these sets of err…so-called poetry.  Though I don't think Itachi's psychotic poem can be considered nice.  ^^;

To Derenhelm Jade Skywalker – I'm so sorry for making you wait so long.  *major sweatdrop* I had forgotten this work for a _long_ time.  But I thank you for reminding me, for without that I wouldn't have considered making a last chapter.  I truly hope you enjoyed his poem.  He was really hard to understand because his thoughts were so…as if he couldn't come to decision about himself.

To Anna-chan – I've always appreciated your feedback because you've been there since the beginning of my writing for Naruto fanfiction.  I feel I've grown along with the stories I've written, and Inner Reflections was the start of it all.  As a kind reader, you've never failed to leave a review of encouragement to the stories that sprouted in this community, and now have grown into nice green plants because of it.  And you are a wonderful writer who can capture feelings in the simplicity of words, especially in your Neji story.  I hope to see you and more of your work.


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